DHL Express unveils its first green facility in SSA

19 October 2017

The facility, located in
Bryanston, Johannesburg, has a state-ofthe-art 10 000-litre rainwater harvesting
system and rooftop solar energy generation plant, which significantly lower the
building’s carbon footprint and reduces energy consumption by 55%.

The reduced energy consumption is
partly due to a 34kW solar photovoltaic system that reduces the demand for grid
power by at least 25%. The facility also uses highly efficient LED light bulbs
in place of conventional ones. This lighting technology, coupled with sensors
designed to automatically turn off lights installed in highly-used office
areas, contributes to energy savings of up to 35%. A majority of the lighting
used in the warehouse is being switched off by a timer when dusk sets in. The
facility’s energy consumption and solar energy production is monitored and
reported in real time.

Anthony Beckley, Vice President, Operations,
DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, says, “The ‘greening’ of the building is in
line with Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL)’s goal to reduce all logistics-related
emissions to net zero by the year 2050. The measures we put in place in the
facility have reduced the building’s overall energy consumption by 55%.”

“Even though the Bryanston project
is still in its infancy, early results based on performance indicate that
despite the cost of electricity and water increasing, the estimated payback
period for the building’s upgrades is currently around three years, down from
an initial estimate of 4.5 years,” Beckley adds. The energy savings of the
facility will be tracked for the next three months, after which DHL Express
will begin the roll-out of green upgrades to additional sites across
Sub-Saharan Africa, including the rest of South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Mozambique.

“The last and critical outcome we
hope to achieve out of this ‘greening’ of facilities is to educate the
employees on the importance of working together to attain our collective zero
emissions goal. We are in the process of pushing through green policies, geared
at saving resources and reducing carbon emissions, which will help shape a company
culture. This is the first step in building greener, more efficient supply chains
throughout our African operations.

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